Tips to bring on labour

[Iusedtobefun95]

I’m 37 weeks tomorrow and honestly I’m done so any tips to naturally bring on labour are welcome. Tried sex so many times in the last few days my partner is threatening to sleep in his mums house lol

Walking, lots of walking.

I don't think anything has been proven to bring on labour. 37 weeks is still pretty early. I'd say best thing is to use a pregnancy ball and do some moves to open up your hips, you can find youtube videos showing you want to do

Oh all the sympathy! All 3 of my babies came late and I tried everything that was safe - including walking miles. So my best advice to you is to make time to do things you will enjoy. Read a lovely book, make a lovely cake, rewatch a box set. Focus on making the time pass pleasantly than on bringing on labour - because it could still be weeks. And tell everyone you know that jokes about ‘isn’t the baby here yet?’ are grounds for execution.
Wishing you all the very best and hoping it isn’t a Christmas Day baby in the end! Flissty x

I cleaned my windows. But maybe that was a precursor rather than an instigator.

Il have the legs walked off my dog now lol

I had a slice of chilli and chocolate cake.,.,.son arrived the next day 😀

Wait! There is literally nothing else. Just surrender to the fact you can’t do anything about it, it’ll take as long as it takes. I day that having had 2 41 weekers. And from someone on the other side, I know the last few weeks feel interminable but you’ll look back and realise how short this time is. Enjoy your last few days of more rest - do nice things for yourself, get your hair cut or a massage.

I tried (with success unless it was just a coincidence - who knows?!) curry with DC1 and sex with DC2. But they were both past 40 weeks already. Good luck OP!

Nothing but solidarity from me. I'm 38+5 and I am on my ball a lot, eating dates and drinking raspberry leaf tea. I did have a walk today but that resulted in me walking home like I'd pooped myself (baby's head is low). We've got this!

Nothing helped for me lmao

My baby is 1 day old so i'll tell you my story (currently meant to be going for a sleep while my DP takes the leash!)

I had a sweep at 39+2, 39+5 and 40+2.

When i say i was pretty much doing everything i could oh my jesus. Sex no, but its because both me and DP agreed it was a little strange with babys head being so low and my cervix was already opening.

I was 1-2 cm on the first sweep already, i went curb walking for hours and nothing... rolling around like a crazy woman on my ball, had a hot curry and nothing.. gave up went for another sweep.

Sweep 2: hours upon hours of curb walking, overeating (SIL's idea), rolling around on my ball, eating plenty of pineapple. Nothing... was told i was 2-3cm dilated.
Sweep 3: threatened to break my own waters at this point - couldnt walk properly and very far. Had constant pain because of SPD/PGP.
Had the sweep was told definitely 3cm now🫠 went curb walking AGAIN and 7pm that night i ended up with tightenings but put them down to not being able to walk properly and far without being in incredible amounts of pain with SPD/PGP.

5am next day.. still got tightenings..

7am that same day, pain started to creep in. Went into labour and had baby yesterday at 4.10am without anyone breaking my waters!!

Basically nothing. 33 hours in labour after having my 3rd sweep and he was born lol.

Rest, take it easy, dont rush it, if you put all your energy into trying to get baby to come now you'll have no energy for when you are going to give birth and you will tire very easily.. (clearly put myself through hell for a week and then it put me through hell in labour because i was EXHAUSTED even from the get go🤣).

Dont rush it. You should be offered sweeps from 39 weeks.
Take your time, take it easy, and baby will come when baby wants to come☺️x (easier said than done i know sorry!!!)

Mine arrived at 41+2 (day they were supposed to be evicted I went into labour at 4am). I tried being on the ball. I tried hot food, the raspberry leaf tea, sex, three sweeps. Honestly all it did was give me irregular contractions that did shit all bar making me more uncomfortable while I was waiting.

They'll arrive when they want to, make yourself as comfortable as you can. Book yourself some nice non refundable things that would be ridiculously hard to do with a newborn. Sods law means baby will arrive before, and if not you're treating yourself to something lovely.

Honestly at 37 weeks just accepting it’s likely going to be a while would be your best bet

Scrubbing the bath worked for me, but I was 39+4 so it might have happened that night anyway.

Wait! It’s only a couple of more weeks - enjoy the peace & rest/sleep

Keep as active as you can, walk and bounce on an excercise ball.

Raspberry leaf tea

nipple stimulation

I tried everything and ended up with an induction at 41 weeks + 5 so unfortunately I think all you can do is wait! I ate dates and drank raspberry leaf tea for weeks, a sweep, had sex, ate curry, used my pregnancy ball and curb walking and normal walking everyday. All I can say is my labour was quick after the induction so maybe the raspberry leaf tea did help. Baby was here within 24 hours from start to finish.

When babies lungs are fully developed they release a protein that triggers labour to start.

there is no need to rush this. Baby will come when they are good and ready

With my first I put took apart my work desk at 38+5 and put that in the loft. I had a sharp pain in stomach and my bump went from being hard to squidgy. That afternoon and evening I did some nipple stimulation and my waters went at midnight baby was born the next day at 38+6

Second, I was assessed twice for preterm labour as contractions started at 33 weeks. They said it was an irritable uterus. I had obstetric cholestasis and has been hospitalised with extreme fatigue so they decided I needed inducing at 36+6. I had a sweep at 36+6 which turned my irregular contractions to regular contractions. This almost put me into labour. If I hadn't been so unwell I would have waited a bit longer but instead they inserted the pessetry which got me quickly into labour. Baby was born the next day

Most of the old wives tails have no evidence, there's a little evidence for nipple stimulation but still not a huge amount. Being active is meant to help, but prior to both of my births I wasn't active. It was lockdown with the first pregnancy and worked full time at home until the day before my waters went and my daily routine was bed to kitchen to study to kitchen to bed and with my second I was sleeping 20 hours a day only waking long enough to eat some toast and to have a cup of tea.

Both my babies were 10 days overdue despite drinking raspberry leaf tea for months, eating dates for months, expressing colostrum, having sex, staying active and bouncing on my birthing ball.

I'm pregnant with 3rd and don't think I'm going to bother with anything this time.